


Meryton Assembley Revisited

by Myshlp



Category: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-14 05:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11201781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myshlp/pseuds/Myshlp
Summary: Because of Darcy’s insult at the Meryton assembly, Elizabeth felt no compunction to show deference to him.  She felt only the need to give him the minimal of socially required civilities.  Her refusal to adore him caused him to adore her.  But what if he had not insulted her?  What if he had been polite instead?  What if she had followed her mother’s advice to be polite and deferential as well?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Darcy, it has been a most jarring summer, but all is settled now. Your sister is safe with your aunt and beginning to recover from her ordeal. Wickham may be in hiding, but you hold enough of his debts to have him hanged. He shall be no more bother to you or to Miss Darcy.” [1] 

As the two friends shared a drink in the office of Netherfield Park, Bingley refilled Darcy’s glass of brandy in hopes that the soothing liquid would help ease his friend’s spirits. 

Both of the Darcy siblings were only now beginning to recover from the assault dealt upon them by George Wickham, Darcy’s childhood friend. That scoundrel, with whom Darcy had severed all ties a few years before, had convinced the very young Miss Darcy to elope with him a few months ago. Darcy had interrupted those plans only the day before the couple was prepared to leave, though he had to wait another month or so to learn if the blackguard had left a more permanent disgrace upon his sister.

Just a few weeks before arriving at Netherfield, his aunt assured him that his sister was unquestionably not with child. Darcy had sagged in relief at the happy news, thankful his young sister preferred the company of their aunt at this fragile juncture. From the beginning, he had not responded in a manner that placated his sister.

Now that Darcy was freed from his heaviest burdens, Bingley hoped to offer some distraction with the more banal tasks of helping a newly minted gentleman. Bingley found Netherfield Park’s proximity to Town one of its most appealing features, allowing him to easily move between town and country whenever the impulse struck.

“Come now, Darcy. You are free to enjoy yourself this evening. Besides, I need you to help me with Meryton society. You know how Caroline is. She will snub them all unless you tell her to accept them,” Bingley sighed. 

Miss Bingley, while overjoyed to act as hostess, had been quite vocal in her repulsion of having to do so in such an uncultured community. Darcy smirked. She was easily led. Like all ladies, she would follow a gentleman’s example in how to behave.

Placing his empty glass on the tray, Darcy looked up to his old friend. “My assistance is yours,” he offered. Then tentatively added, “but I may one day need your help in return.”

Bingley looked at him, brows raised. Darcy rarely asked anything of him, but Bingley would happily acquiesce to anything his trusted friend would request. “What would you need from me?”

Darcy put on a slight grin and swirled his glass as he contemplated. “Nothing now. Just something I’m considering. When I have decided the details, we shall discuss it further.”

“Then may we drink to the future,” Bingley suggested, raising his glass.

“To the future,” Darcy agreed, raising his own in response before both drank deeply. 

~~~o0o~~~

Without the gentlemen’s knowledge, Caroline Bingley hovered just outside the study door to purposefully overhear as much of the men’s discussion as she could. From the little she heard, she thought Mr. Darcy’s meant to connect his family with her own. If she had been less refined, she would have let out a whoop of joy.

Before arriving at Netherfield Park, rumor circulating among the ton was that over the summer Darcy had finally decided it was time to prepare for the re-population of the Pemberley playroom. He had caught the eye of a duke’s daughter toward the end of last season and would likely pursue the excellent opportunity when he returned to Town in December. It could be that Darcy preferred the beauty and fashion of Caroline over the connections of the other woman. If there were any way Caroline could earn Darcy’s preference, it would be while he resided under her brother’s roof. Over the next few weeks, she vowed to employ every method her mother and her education had trained into her as methods for encouraging an attachment. She would show absolute deference and concern for Mr. Darcy during his time at Netherfield Park.

Satisfied, Caroline moved on to her chambers to prepare for the insipid country assembly and to share her information with her sister. She and Louisa would put on happy faces as they pretended to be interested in the sheep or wheat [2] or whatever it was the locals did with their meager lives.

~~~o0o~~~

“Charles,” his sister could not help but whine in her brother’s ear, “are you certain this is how we must be introduced to your new neighbors?” 

As they entered the assembly, the rest of the attendees looked toward them and whispered, though some voices were loud enough to carry across the room. Usually, Miss Bingley adored commanding the attention of a room, but those were rooms of the fashionable. These were not.

“These shall be your neighbors and your social sphere for as long as your brother leases his estate,” Darcy said firmly after overhearing her. Making Miss Bingley treat the locals with civility and courtesy would be his first consideration in fulfilling his promise to Bingley. “To succeed in a neighborhood, you must all be liked and respected.”

Miss Bingley quickly adjusted her demeanor. “Of course you are correct, Mr. Darcy. I’m sure they are all simply lovely.”

“I have never seen pleasanter people or prettier girls!” Bingley pronounced, clearly eager to begin making new acquaintances. Sir William Lucas greeted them as soon as he could make his way through the crowd, genially offering to perform any introductions the party desired. 

Also as expected, Bingley wished for introductions to all of the genteel families. Sir William led them in making a round of the room. They were introduced to the rest of the Lucas family, then moved on to the Longs, the Kings, the Joneses, the Bennets, the Morrises, the Robinsons, the Philips, the Watsons, and finally the Webbs. By the end, Darcy’s head was spinning. It was hopeless for him to try to recall the names of each person, though he was able to remember the family names and the faces that belonged to each.

As Bingley upheld his role of the amiable gentleman, Darcy garbed himself in a similar mantle. Though uncomfortable, Darcy had years of practice hiding it and continued his responsibility to aid Bingley. There was no way the two of them could dance with all of the ladies they had been introduced to. That one family alone had five daughters! Between himself and Bingley, they danced with as many of the eldest daughters of each family as they could, while Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst graciously occupied the gentlemen. 

When the time came to dance with the Bennets—the family with all the girls—Bingley swiftly claimed the oldest sister, who was easily the only handsome girl in the room. Darcy caught his friend’s eye as Bingley raised a brow in triumph at his fine catch. Bowing sarcastically to his friend, Darcy acknowledged his defeat before asking the second eldest to partner, which she enthusiastically did.

As he danced with the young lady—a Miss Elizabeth Bennet, he believed—she chattered away like all ladies. She asked him about his home, his family, and everything else that drew ladies to him. He kept his answers polite but short, deflecting her interrogation by asking her the socially required questions about her situation. Once their dance finished, he led her back to her sisters and moved on to dance with Miss Long while Bingley danced with Miss King. 

And so the evening went. Insipid ladies all asking the same insipid questions about his worth, no different from the dances in the ton. At least in Town, the ladies were more skilled at flirting, which could have added at least a touch of amusement to the whole affair. 

By the time he finally climbed into the carriage for the ride back to Netherfield Park, Darcy was exhausted and wondered if the effort required to help his friend was worth such effort on his part. But Bingley had stood by him during this ghastly summer so Darcy would stand by his friend this autumn. 

Once they arrived back at Netherfield Park, Bingley raved over the fun he had at the assembly and his high expectations for living in Hertfordshire. [3] Conversely, after having spent the past few hours pretending to enjoy himself, Darcy happily joined Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley in ridiculing the locals. Of course, they would all be polite while in company with them, but here in Bingley’s parlor, they could find amusement in the manners of the trite country gentry. [4]

That Bingley did not agree did little to stop them.

~~~o0o~~~

“Oh, my dear Mr. Bennet!” Mrs. Bennet cried after they returned. “We had a most delightful evening and a most excellent ball. Jane was admired by all, and Mr. Bingley asked her to dance twice! His friend, a Mr. Darcy with ten thousand pounds a year, even asked Lizzy to dance.” She threw her arms into the air, offering her thanks to God. “Oh to have two such eligible gentlemen at Netherfield Park! We are certain to have at least one daughter married in this next year!”

Mr. Bennet listened with little patience before interrupting her and begging her to cease her recountments. Mrs. Bennet could not, and so the couple bantered another half hour before the household retired for the evening. 

As they ascended the stairs for the night, Mrs. Bennet patted Elizabeth on the shoulder. “See, my girl. If you continue to do as I recommend, even you might catch a gentleman. You just ask about them, their lives, their interests, then you just repeat back to them what they tell you. Men love to be agreed with, it makes them feel superior. So you just keep being agreeable with that Mr. Darcy and you may even have a chance. They each have their own taste, you know. He may not prefer someone as beautiful as Jane, but with his income, he can choose how he likes.” As Mrs. Bennet opened her door to retire, she again patted Elizabeth making Elizabeth feel like a dog. “You just be a good girl and do as I tell you and we will all be secured.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Jane as their mother left them. “Yes, Mama. I shall.”

As the two eldest sisters settled into their bed for the evening, the girls teased each other about their admirations for the new gentlemen in town and their mother’s instructions.

“He is just what a young man ought to be,” smiled Jane. 

“His friend is much the same,” Elizabeth agreed. “And they are both handsome, so their characters are quite complete!”

“I was so happy to see his friend ask you to dance,” Jane smiled gently at her sister. “He is a fine dancer, and you seemed to enjoy yourself.”

“Oh yes, I had a wonderful time,” Elizabeth agreed, then smirked. “Mama was overjoyed I took her advice and showed none of my impertinence to the new gentlemen. Mr. Darcy seemed pleased with the banal discussion Mama insists upon, so I decided it best not to speak of anything which required an opinion. It would be too difficult to keep from sharing my own, which likely would not agree with his.” Cocking her head and looking at her sister with a knowing glare—a precise imitation of their mother during her lectures—Elizabeth reminded her sister: “You know how disagreeable gentlemen are when you disagree with them. You must always make them think they are correct. Once you secure them, then you will be free to loosen your tongue.”

The sisters laughed and continued to chat until the wee hours of the morning. Before finally succumbing to sleep, it was decided that Jane should continue being her placid self. 

Elizabeth, on the other hand, had determined she would strive to follow her mother’s instruction while Mr. Darcy remained a guest at Netherfield Park. Though having no real hopes for herself, she recognized that the good opinion of his friend and his sisters would be necessary for Jane to capture the heart of the affable Mr. Bingley. While swallowing her impertinence and following her mother’s advice, Elizabeth would amuse herself by seeing just how doting she could be. [5]

~~~o0o~~~

Over the following weeks, the Netherfield Park party attended several of the functions hosted by the Meryton genteel community. By presenting their most agreeable demeanors, they soon developed an intimacy with the locals that allowed Bingley to become a much-loved member of their society. Darcy’s endeavors to support his friend were a success. 

On the way home from a dinner with the militia officers, Darcy announced to Bingley that he planned to return to Town in a fortnight or so. He wished to be there at the start of December as the season would be fully engaged by that time, and he was determined to make the best marriage alliance possible by the end of the season. 

After the disappointments and grievances of the summer, he knew it was time. He must marry before any rumors of Georgiana’s disgrace or of his intentions to wed her to Bingley began to spread otherwise, his chances to make the finest alliance would be compromised. Even tales of his sister marrying beneath her station would cause the best-connected ladies to look elsewhere.

Upon arriving at Netherfield Park, Darcy was disappointed to find Miss Bennet ensconced in a guest room after becoming ill at dinner. He had no desire to pretend amiability throughout the day, it was difficult enough to maintain it during the evening social events. He could only hope she would remain in her room until recovered, upon which time she would return home.

Bingley, on the other hand, was overjoyed at Miss Bennet’s stay, though sorrowed it was due to illness. He had been showing overt preferences toward her from their first meeting. Now with her under his roof, he ensured her every desire be catered to.

In the typical Bingley fashion, he had fallen in love with the prettiest girl in the village, no matter how senseless. After all, the lady must have nothing in her head. Why else would she smile so often and be so unruffled by the appalling behavior of her mother and youngest sisters? She must be too insipid or uncultured to notice their impropriety.

If she was to be Bingley’s shiny new toy while he played in Hertfordshire, who was Darcy to interfere? He could see how having a pretty lady to flirt with would break the monotony of the country until they were ready to return to Town for the season. Darcy had teased and flirted with Miss Bingley a bit as a distraction, but she had started to become dull, and he knew that neither desired to move beyond a mild flirtation. Miss Bingley had greater expectations for herself—expectations that came with a title—though Darcy thought them unlikely to be met. Darcy himself would not connect himself to one so unconnected. 

The next morning, Miss Bennet’s eldest sister, Miss Elizabeth, appeared in the breakfast room at the end of their meal. She must have stopped by the washroom before being allowed in because even though she claimed to have walked from her estate, her hair was smooth, her boots and skirts were clean, and her face, while glowing, was not flushed with exertion. After greeting the party with compliments for all and an apology for interrupting their meal, she was seen to her sister’s room to attend to her care.

While Miss Elizabeth was caring for her sister, the residents at the breakfast table focused all of their comments on the inappropriateness of her walking so far, on her own, to care for a sister who was only slightly ill, as well as disparaging the country hours she must keep to have arrived so early. 

Darcy commented on the dangers the young lady subjected herself to by choosing to walk so far without accompaniment, while silently believing she used the excuse of caring for her sister as a way of forwarding herself to his notice. That being the case, he could do with some novel entertainment. Though she was not as fine as her sister, she was pretty enough. Having someone new to flirt with would break up the tedium, and her youth and inexperience would likely give more satisfying results than the seasoned Miss Bingley. Even with her youth and country upbringing, Miss Elizabeth should well know this would be nothing more than flirtation. All genteel ladies would understand the expectations of those in each tier of society.

He was surprised when Miss Elizabeth spent the entire day in her sister’s room rather than engaging with him, but that afternoon, when Miss Bennet asked for her sister to stay, Darcy smugly knew the game the two were playing. Mrs. Bennet was too forward for him not to discern the two ladies were following their mother’s orders to capture a rich husband. He would have to be careful in his flirtations and teases, so as not to allow the mother to claim denied expectations.

When Miss Elizabeth arrived for dinner, Miss Bingley seated her next to taciturn Hurst, and thus she did not enter their conversation. Once she joined them in the drawing room, she still behaved oddly. She chose a book over cards and their conversations. A most unusual maneuver on her part, in Darcy’s opinion, though her choice of a book might indicate she was less vapid than her sister. 

The group engaged in some lighthearted banter until Miss Elizabeth excused herself to check on her sister. To her credit, Darcy thought, she at least held up the appearance of being at Netherfield Park to care for Miss Bennet. When she returned to announce her sister was worse and she would not rejoin them, he found himself disappointed to lose the opportunity for a bit of novel flirtation.

~~~o0o~~~

Elizabeth sponged Jane’s forehead, trying to cool her fever, while she reassured her. “You shall start feeling better soon, dearest. The worst must still pass, but I’ll pray it passes quickly.”

When Jane asked her sister to distract her by telling of the happenings below stairs, Elizabeth smiled as she recounted her dull dinner next to Mr. Hurst. She moved on to the drawing room, the cards where the wealthy were playing too high for her comfort, and the conversation about accomplishments in a lady. “Jane, I fear neither of us shall have a chance with these gentlemen,” she laughed before dramatically putting her hand to her head and letting out an exaggerated sigh. “For their requirements are far beyond what a mere Hertfordshire chit could aspire to.” Regaining her humor, Elizabeth mockingly shared Miss Bingley’s list of accomplishments with Jane. Both laughed quietly, as well as found amusement in the hypocrisy of Miss Bingley first saying few ladies are accomplished, then saying they were many in the exalted company they keep in Town.

“I am not sure what to make of Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth shared with her sister. “He claimed reading as a necessary accomplishment in a lady right after Mr. Hurst insulted me for reading. Why would he do that?”

“Maybe he finds you attractive? Maybe he prefers ladies who are educated?” Jane suggested.

“Maybe,” Elizabeth responded thoughtfully. “Maybe.” Though she would say no more, the idea of Mr. Darcy finding her attractive excited her. That such a well-favored man would take notice of her was beyond her imaginings, though it disappointed her that she would be required to mask her wit for it to happen. No matter Jane’s suspicion, Elizabeth firmly believed that Mr. Darcy did not have a weakness for ladies who read. 

Over the past few weeks the Netherfield Park party had attended Meryton society and Elizabeth had amused herself with playing the role of a fawning sycophant, similar to the way Miss Bingley behaved around Mr. Darcy. Her mother still complained of her impertinence, as both she and Mr. Bennet knew Elizabeth would never normally act in such a way willingly so she could only think Elizabeth was finding humor in it.

As Mr. Darcy responded to her doting, she wondered if maybe her mother was correct. Perhaps gentlemen did like ladies who only agreed with them and made them feel superior. Mr. Darcy certainly seemed to, and he gave every appearance of being a well-educated and well-traveled gentleman of the world.

Elizabeth laughed at the idea of Mr. Darcy being attracted to a submissive version of herself knowing it was far from her true character, though with her youth and inexperience, she could not help but feel compliment of her sister’s suggestion.


	2. Chapter 2

Author’s Note: I’ve made a slight change to Chapter 1 to make it clearer that Elizabeth is looking at following her mother’s instructions as a private joke she intends to continue doing throughout Mr. Darcy’s visit. No need to re-read it, just know it’s there and that’s what’s happening since I don’t think I made it clear enough before.

Chapter 2

The following day, Mrs. Bennet arrived and confirmed all of Darcy’s beliefs about why both Bennet daughters were staying at Netherfield Park. The eldest must have been sent on horseback by the scheming mother in spite of the imminent rain. Then the mother sent the second eldest traipsing after her older sister, all in hopes of gaining the attention of the gentlemen. When visiting, Mrs. Bennet even had the nerve to bring her youngest and most inappropriate daughters, only to have the uncouth chits ask Bingley to host a ball. That, too, must have been the mother’s doing, as she was so enthusiastic once it was mentioned. Darcy inwardly commended Miss Elizabeth for having the decency to appear embarrassed over her relations and choosing to spend the rest of the day with her sister instead of in their company.

That evening saw Miss Bingley flirting with Darcy as he wrote to Georgiana, putting herself even more forward than usual. Miss Elizabeth joined Miss Bingley’s compliments of his writing until he was quite ready to ask if they wished for a sample to frame. The perfusions were simply overwhelming. 

Thankfully, Bingley drew the ladies’ attention to himself with comments on his own poor handwriting. Miss Elizabeth defended Bingley’s writing even though she had never seen it, causing Darcy to once again question the mental acuity of the Bennets while he finished his correspondence.

When Miss Bingley suggested some music, Darcy recognized the pianoforte’s ability to obscure his voice and allow him privacy for his conversations. As the music began, he moved to sit beside Miss Elizabeth, ensuring he sat close enough to be heard. Though he was still uncertain of her quickness, he did look forward to some diversion. 

“Do you know the meaning of what she sings?” he asked Miss Elizabeth with a slight grin and an eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

Though her father had taught her Italian, she knew better than to admit to such knowledge. Putting on her best mask of breathy wide-eyed innocence and ignorance, she managed to hold in a chuckle while assuring him, “Why no sir, I do not.”

At that point, Darcy leaned forward and enlightened her as to the meaning of the lyrics Miss Bingley sang:

_Although cruel._  
_You languish,_  
_Always loyal I want to love you._

He smiled as he watched her blush fall from her cheeks to her décolletage. Only the youngest girls of the ton would blush at something so common in their lives, but this innocent thought it scandalous. 

Yes, paying her some small and careful attentions the next few days would be a nice diversion to his now mundane life.

~~~o0o~~~

Elizabeth had been confident that Mr. Darcy was flirting with her. That first night, he had leaned into her and suggestively translated the words of the love song as if he were reciting the lyrics directly to her. Then last night, he claimed to admire her figure as she walked with Miss Bingley. He made shocking allusions to the pleasing sway of ladies’ hips, along with a suggestion that she and Miss Bingley position themselves in front of the fire, to remain warm he claimed, but the smirk on his face indicated he preferred seeing the shadows through their skirts.

She knew he was well above her in wealth and status. Her father had mentioned he was likely to seek the daughter of a peer to take as a wife to maintain his family connections and wealth, but she could not help but find herself infatuated by his attentions. He made her heart flutter, even though her rational side knew it likely to be nothing more than teasing on his part.

Then his behavior today thoroughly confused her examination of his character. He flirted with her at breakfast, then ignored her in the library even though he chose the chair beside hers. Later, at tea, he flirted only with Miss Bingley, mostly ignoring her, but after dinner, he again leaned into her and translated the love songs quietly and almost into her ear. It sent chills down her spine and made her stomach again flutter, yet her sensibility could not understand these fluctuating attentions. 

As she finished packing to return home, she decided she could only be thankful that Jane insisted they leave after services tomorrow. She needed to have some time away from the confusing Mr. Darcy to clear her head and return to the farce she was currently entertaining herself with.

~~~o0o~~~

Ah well, there goes my entertainment, Darcy thought as he watched Bingley’s carriage take the Bennet sisters home. He had enjoyed watching her embarrassment when he translated the love songs to her but realized he had to be more circumspect lest he raise the dreaded ‘expectations’. He refused to speak with her in the library or during tea, which should act to warn her away. That evening, knowing the Bennet Ladies would be leaving this morning, he allowed himself the pleasure once again of entertaining himself with her attentions. What man is not easily diverted by the attentions of an attractive young lady? He asked himself. Very few, he answered while watching Bingley’s response to Miss Bennet’s departure. 

Over the next few days, Bingley insisted his sisters plan the promised ball. The Tuesday next would be the day, he decided, so Darcy could attend before returning to Town. With only a bit of grumbling, and none after she saw Darcy bearing witness to her behaviors, Miss Bingley cheerfully set about creating the most elegant ball ever held in Hertfordshire.

~~~o0o~~~

Two days after the Bennet ladies returned home, Bingley wished to visit to ensure the elder Miss Bennet had recovered and convinced Darcy to accompany him. As they passed through Meryton on their way to Longbourn, the two gentlemen had the misfortune to find Bingley’s newest plaything and her sisters speaking to none other than the dastardly Wickham. Both gentlemen independently tried to surmise what connection Wickham had to the Bennets, though Bingley recovered his senses sooner than Darcy. Dismounting, he spoke to the party while Darcy and Wickham silently confronted each other. Bingley could only hope Darcy did not trample the miscreant with his horse or encourage the beast to deliver a well-placed kick.

Darcy did not stop, continuing to ride along the road and working to regain his placidity, while Miss Bennet introduced Bingley to a newly arrived cousin of the Bennets. After Mr. Denny introduced his newly arrived friend and soon-to-be-militia-officer, Mr. Wickham, Bingley quickly excused himself to follow Darcy back to Netherfield Park.

“I can not believe I just saw that knave here in Hertfordshire,” Darcy growled. “Does he not value his life? And those Bennet women,” he accused. “Did he send them into your home to spy on me?”

“The Bennet ladies are innocent, Darcy,” Bingley responded. “He only arrived yesterday, and the only one in the town who knew him before was that militiaman standing beside him, Denny. He invited Wickham to join up and brought him here.”

Darcy looked skeptical. Wickham had pulled too many tricks on him through the years for him not to look at this encounter with a jaded vision. [1]

“I shall have the ball in a week. After, we may all return to Town,” Bingley suggested. “I have business I need to attend to anyway, but it will be as good a time as any to close the manor and enjoy the season.” He grinned mischievously at his friend. “As we are yet unattached, there is no other place in England we should be at this time of year.”

Darcy grunted his approval, but vowed to write Colonel Fitzwilliam and inform him of Wickham’s latest location so he could be watched.

~~~o0o~~~

With the foul weather in the days leading up to the ball, Darcy was very nearly mad from being trapped indoors. Chomping at the bit to return to London, he only had this one evening to endure before he would once again be free to go back to his responsibilities. He could only hope the duke’s daughter still fancied him. Although he would have preferred the legitimate one, Harriet, the illegitimate one, Caroline, was the same age and still held the Devonshire connections.

He kept to himself until most of the guests had arrived, only then did he force himself to join the festivities. He wandered the room in boredom as Bingley fawned over the angel he would forget as soon as he returned to Town. Watching the dancers, he saw the maladroit Bennet cousin trouncing the feet of Miss Elizabeth. In sympathy for the lady and her toes, he asked her to dance thinking one last dance before he left for London would surely do no harm.

How wrong he was! Though a surprisingly excellent dancer, she spent most of the dance confronting him over the encounter with Wickham. How dare she question his honor! And when did she begin questioning him? He once again began to question her connection to that gentleman, before recalling how insidious the man could be. A simple lady such as the one before him would be easily ensnared. “Whether he may be equally capable of retaining friends, is less certain,” he had tried to warn her.

The remainder of the evening was unremarkable with the exception of the Bennets delay in leaving. Mrs. Bennet worked diligently to gain Bingley’s promise to attend a dinner at their estate in the coming days, not stopping until Bingley, who left his answers purposefully vague, eventually gave some answer she seemed to latch on to as a promise. Thus pleased, the Bennet’s finally entered their carriage to return home.

After the ladies had retired, the two gentlemen met in Bingley’s study for a final drink at Netherfield Park. They would leave on the morrow, with the ladies to close the house and return to London the day after.

“So you will not return,” Darcy asked.

“I may,” Bingley responded with a grin. “I do have the lease for a year, and the hunting is good.” He smiled slyly, indicating that feathered birds were not his only prey.

“Do you really believe the lady cares for you,” Darcy confronted him. “You know she would accept you, her mother would allow nothing less, but would you want such a marriage? Beauty, yes, but no affection? No connections? No wealth? The only thing she would offer you is her looks, and those will fade after the first child.”

Bingley frowned. “Are you certain? She has given me every indication she prefers my company.”

“Only at the instruction of her mother,” Darcy declared. “The mother was abhorrently vocal about her intentions for you, and your happiness had nothing to do with it.”

Bingley’s countenance fell. “Another disappointment then …” For such a charming man, he was becoming accustomed to disappointment. The ladies of higher quality who enjoyed his attentions would not attach themselves to him because of his lack of an estate and his recent elevation from trade. The other ladies who flattered him cared not for him, but for his wealth. He had thought Miss Bennet to be different. She did not obviously flatter him, but she had seemed interested in him as a person. Bingley sighed and turned away, refilling his glass.

“It appears so,” Darcy agreed. The men sat in silence for a few moments before Darcy addressed Bingley again. “I would like to propose an alliance that will not disappoint you.”

Bingley raised his brows but said nothing.

“You will be doing me a great favor by accepting it, if you see fit,” Darcy mused. “As you have been by my side during the whole ordeal with Wickham this summer, you know all of Georgiana’s trials.” Darcy braced himself to continue. “You are a good man and one I would not mind calling brother. Would you consider offering for my sister?” At Bingley’s surprise, Darcy explained further. “You know all of what happened. If you can reconcile yourself to it, then Georgiana will not have to relive her shame in the future when she would be compelled to tell any serious suitor. She would not also have to risk rejection because of it.”

“Of course!” Bingley cried. “Miss Darcy is a lovely and very accomplished young lady. I shall always treat her with the respect she deserves.” Bingley smiled and clapped Darcy on the shoulder. “Of course, having you as a brother would cause no pain either.”

Darcy smiled. Refilling both glasses, the gentlemen touched them together in a toast. “To our future brotherhood,” Darcy toasted.

“To brotherhood,” Bingley confirmed.

~~~o0o~~~

Netherfield was soon emptied, Miss Bingley wrote a parting letter to Miss Bennet, the only local she had befriended, and the group made their way back to London to continue on with their lives and put this little interlude behind them.

Darcy participated fully in the season, beginning shortly after he returned. 

He and Georgiana spoke at length about both their futures. She agreed that a marriage to Mr. Bingley would be the most desirable denouement for her coming out, allowing her to find joy with a happy, well-favored gentleman of good character without having to relive her humiliation at the hands of Wickham. She also supported her brother’s choice of wife. Caroline St. Jules might be the illegitimate daughter of the fifth Duke of Devonshire, but she was much like Darcy in her reserved approach to life. That, combined with her thirty-thousand-pound dowry and close relationship with her Cavendish siblings, would make her a brilliant match for Darcy, more than making up for Georgiana’s marriage to Bingley. [2]

Darcy was wed in July of 1812, after the Cavendish family completed their mourning for the fifth duke. Shortly after, in August of 1812, Bingley and Georgiana were quietly married. The two couples combined their wedding tour, allowing Miss Bingley to also accompany them as Mrs. Hurst was now increasing.

The new Mrs. Caroline Darcy was able to rebuild many of her connections on the continent during their tour. During one of those meetings, Miss Bingley was introduced to a Danish count who appreciated both her fawning nature and large dowry. He easily concealed her connections to trade by mentioning only her new sister, the former Caroline St. Jules, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. 

Miss Bingley never again returned to British soil. She secured her match with the Count in as short a time as Danish law would allow for fear he would change his mind. Once wed, she immediately put forth great effort to produce the required heir and any additional progeny he desired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Though it surprised me, the word jaded dates from 1593. At the time, it meant “disesteem, held in contempt.”
> 
> [2] I'm using the real person, because - why not? If P&P started in 1811, then Darcy was born in 1784 and Elizabeth in 1791. Caroline St. Jules was the illegitimate daughter of the 5th Duke of Devonshire. She was born on 16 August 1785 while her legitimate sister, Harriet, was born 29 August 1785. In the real world, Caroline St. Jules married George Lamb, the younger brother of William Lamb, Lord Melbourn. Lord Melbourn was married to Caroline Lamb (the famous lover of Lord Byron), who was a cousin to Caroline St. Jules. Caroline St. Jules did have a 30K pound dowry, larger than her legitimate sisters, and it sounds like she was reticent. Almost everything else I wrote about her is made up to suit the needs of my story. She is interesting; I recommend looking her up. She lived until 1862 or so.
> 
> ~~~o0o~~~
> 
> Thank you for all the wonderful feedback! I now realize there is another place in canon that implies that Bingley doesn’t know about Georgiana, but since Jane Austen is the master of writing that can be taken with multiple meanings, even that section is open for interpretation.
> 
> As I noted at the top, I made a few changes in Chapter 1 to make it more obvious that Elizabeth was making following her mother’s advice a personal joke while Darcy was in town. You don’t need to re-read it, but just know it’s there and that was the intent.
> 
> I know I’m leaving this chapter at a spot that will leave many of you with a sour taste. I’m sorry, but it was getting long and I had to stop somewhere. The next chapter is Elizabeth’s side of what happened after Netherfield Park emptied - I see it as being more empowering than being some sob story. The chapter after that - the last chapter - is the HEA. I’ll try to post on Mondays, but the summer is both busy and unpredictable.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After the Netherfield Park party closed the house and terminated their lease, the Longbourn estate—or at least the Mrs. Bennet member of it—went into a period of self-imposed mourning. Mrs. Bennet sobbed openly at the loss of the two wealthy and eligible gentlemen. Mary quoted scripture in hopes of reminding her mother of the foolishness of such wailing. Kitty and Lydia laughed at their eldest sisters while they gloated about the handsome officers giving so much attention to the younger Bennets. 

Mr. Collins, after being rejected by Elizabeth, sought out Charlotte Lucas as a wife, thus compounding Mrs. Bennet’s grief.

For the first week, Mr. Bennet made his usual cynical comments about his older daughters being crossed in love. But when his oldest were not back to their lively selves by the end of the second week, he suffered a moment of true paternal concern, or as much paternal concern as Mr. Bennet could ever muster, and called his eldest daughters into his study to address them.

“You do understand those men never had serious intentions toward you, do you not?”

Jane and Elizabeth glanced at one another. Jane had nothing to say. How could she? She had given much of her heart to Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth spoke for them. “Papa, Mr. Bingley certainly showed Jane every attention. Why would we not think he would have serious intentions toward her?”

“No matter what your novels may lead you to believe, gentlemen of those ranks do not marry for love. They marry for power and wealth,” Mr. Bennet stated firmly as he looked at Jane. “Mr. Bingley shall likely marry Mr. Darcy’s sister, as his sister wrote you. Why would he not? It raises his influence considerably by doing so.” He then looked at Elizabeth. “And you, why my most sensible daughter would allow herself a senseless infatuation with a man of that level … Well, I must tell you I am firmly disappointed you would do something so foolish.”

Neither daughter could respond. Elizabeth decided it was not the time to disabuse her father while Jane suffered, and quietly slipped her hand over Jane’s to offer her delicate sister strength.

“My girls,” Mr. Bennet continued. “Though I may banter about the silliness of my girls, neither one of you are silly. You shall both rid yourselves of any mooning thoughts of those gentlemen,” he firmly ordered. “From this moment on, you will both return to your natural, sensible selves. Those gentlemen are not worth your speculations. If they were, they would be here now either courting you or seeking your hand.” 

Mr. Bennet peered out the window, squinting his eyes as he looked up the drive before looking back at his daughters. “My eyes may be in decline, but my vision is not so far gone that I cannot see up my drive. As I see no gentlemen or carriages upon it, I shall presume to remind you again: these gentlemen are not worth the time you currently give to them.”

He returned to his seat, watching as his little girls sadly, for all five would always be his little girls, looked at one another. 

“I have remedies for you both,” Mr. Bennet announced as he picked up a letter from his desk. “I can not stop your mother’s caterwauling, but I can remove you from it. Jane, Gardiner has agreed to bring you back to London with him after Christmas. He has a few business acquaintances you would do well to meet. They are more likely to be seduced into marriage by your beauty, but you must first end this infernal moping over that cretin who left Netherfield.”

Jane smiled then nodded at him, likely pleased by being able to escape her mother’s outbursts for a few months as well as the prospect of enjoying distractions of Town and meeting her uncle’s friends.

“Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet turned toward his favorite. “I can not think of what you have done with your usual sharp wit. That arrogant gentleman must be as dulling to your repartee as paper is to scissors.” Drawing a deep breath, he continued. “As I can not send you both to London at the same time, the Gardiners have invited you to join them on their tour of the Peaks this summer.”

Elizabeth could barely contain her joy at the prospect. “That would be wonderful, Papa!”

“Then we now have it settled. You shall both return to your normal, sensible selves. In return, Jane shall have a trip to London and Lizzy shall have a trip to the Peaks.” He looked between them both to ensure their understanding. Once they both nodded at him, he returned into his more gruff self. “Now out,” he ordered, as he picked up his most recent tome and settled back into his chair.

The Bennet daughters did as their father instructed, they put the offensive gentlemen securely in their past, never to be bothered by thoughts of them again. Or none that they would ever admit to or show.

During her stay with the Gardiners, Jane met a highly decorated officer. The younger son of an earl, General Fitzhenry had done well for himself in the war. He returned highly decorated and having amassed great wealth, one he worked with Mr. Gardiner to expand even further. Being a younger son, he always thought he would have to marry for fortune. Now, having made it on his own, he could marry for either affection or connection.

The Gardiners thought the General a good match for Jane. When they first met, General Fitzhenry appreciated Jane’s fine semblance. As they spoke over dinner, her calm demeanor drew him to her. After so many years in the chaos of war and ruling unruly young men, he welcomed such serenity.

For her part, Jane found him most handsome. His usual refined manners contrasted with his sometimes boisterous tales of the Army life. The General had a wry sense of humor Jane much appreciated as being similar, but not so cynical, as her father’s.

Soon the General learned that he found great enjoyment in making tears of amusement roll down Jane’s cheeks while she exerted the effort required to maintain her controlled countenance during his antics. He became quick with a handkerchief to wipe away those tears, soon accompanying the gesture with whispers of his crusade to cause the loss of her restraint as he dearly wished to hear her laughter. If he were to meet that challenge, he informed her, she must immediately surrender to him in marriage, as by that point he would have honorably triumphed in the battle over her strongly guarded composure.

One evening, not long after his declaration of war, he enlisted the Gardiner children to help him win his fair lady after dinner. By encouraging the children to dress themselves as woodland creatures, he allowed them to fit him to be their tree. While Jane was amused and thought his playfulness with the children adorable, it certainly did nothing to break her composure. As he had given the children free rein, their woodland animals use their tree in any way their youthful imaginations saw fit. Which meant the children became increasingly silly as the evening progressed. They climbed him, stuck new branches in the buttons of his jacket, picked acorns from his head, and any other absurdity they could think of. 

After much raucousness, the youngest, a lad who had just turned three, forgot his wits in the giddiness of play and began to lift his gown to relieve himself upon the ‘tree’. Mrs. Gardiner and the nurse both shrieked in mortification, lunging to grab and then to quickly remove the boy before he could cause any damage. Seeing the shocked expressions of both her aunt and the nurse, as well as her uncle’s embarrassment and the chagrin of the General, Jane finally crumbled. Laughing uncontrollably in her quiet giggles, she brought her handkerchief to her face as she tried desperately to hide her discomposure. Finally she succumbed to the hilarity of the moment and admitted defeat. The General then smiled and asked her only how long he must wait to claim his reward.

~~~o0o~~~

While Jane and Colonel Fitzhenry were hurling themselves toward matrimony in London, life at Longbourn was altering dramatically. 

While Jane was in London gaining the general’s hand, Mrs. Bennet spent day after day wailing over her losses. She sobbed over the loss of both those fine gentlemen who were to marry her daughters, as well as lamenting the loss of her position, income, and home to that scheming Charlotte Lucas—who by rights should never have married before any of the much more handsome Bennet daughters. 

After hearing her lamentations for so many days without end, Mr. Bennet confided in his Lizzy that he was beginning to feel his mind slip away in a search for relief as his study door no longer shielded him from her ululations. 

A few weeks later, when Lydia learned the militia would be relocating to Brighton over the summer, she used her mother as a model when she began fussing and wailing to join them. Once Lydia began imitating her mother, Kitty began imitating Lydia. 

With the three ladies making such a clamor for such a length of time, Mr. Bennet’s mind could finally take no more and gave way to apoplexy. As a result, his sinistral side became useless after the collapse. His left arm hung and left leg no longer would support all of his weight. That side of his face drooped—the twinkle in that eye, the turn of his smile on that side were now gone forever.

Mr. Jones, the apothecary, warned that Mr. Bennet’s days on this earth were now numbered. The potential for another apoplexy which would claim his life was great, and even if that did not happen, subsequent infections due to the uselessness of the limbs would likely cause him to succumb.

While Elizabeth worked to help her father recover, including many attempts at silencing her mother and sisters to ease his burden, Mr. Collins made the journey to Hertfordshire to find out how long it would be before he and his dearest Charlotte would be in possession of Longbourn. Upon his arrival into her father’s study and announcement of his purpose, Elizabeth eyed her father’s pistol case. With great effort, she left the guns hiding in their box before telling the repulsive man that her father would likely recover and it was up to the Lord to decide such matters as when Longbourn would change hands. 

As Elizabeth was managing Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet entered the study to learn who had arrived in such a fine carriage, the one Mr. Collins had borrowed from Lady Catherine. When she saw Mr. Collins there, the shock struck her dumb. She clutched at her chest and began gasping for breath. Mr. Collins tried his best to greet her and explain he had only come to see to his inheritance and learn how long it would be before he could move in. 

With each word, Mrs. Bennet became more distress until finally she collapsed.

Elizabeth ran to help her, but her mother could no longer respond. Mr. Jones was quickly called from her father’s room to attend her mother, but there was nothing he could do. He gave Miss Elizabeth’s shoulder a pat in sympathy and offer to call the undertaker.

Throughout, Mr. Collins stood about like a fool, bumbling indistinct noises and shuffling around, but being of use to none. He tried to tell Mr. Jones that the undertaker would not be necessary, but Elizabeth coolly reminded him that he was not to receive Longbourn upon the death of her mother, thus it would be her father’s prerogative how they dealt with such things. She thanked Mr. Jones and accepted his gracious offer to notify those tradesmen that needed to be called. 

After she turned dispassionately to Mr. Collins, Elizabeth would never remember exactly what it was she said—something about theirs being a sick house and unable to properly tend to him. Whatever it was, she was able to banish him to the Lucases for the remainder of his visit. Mr. Collins returned to Kent in frustration the next day, thanks in part to a cleverly worded statement by Mr. Jones that implied Mr. Bennet would remain of this Earth for the foreseeable future.

As Mr. Collins began his return to Hunsford, Jane arrived with the Gardiners and General Fitzhenry. Mrs. Gardiner, Jane, and Elizabeth, along with some help from Mary, made short work of preparing for Mrs. Bennet’s funeral and adjusting the household to its new situation, while Mr. Gardiner, along with help from the General, arranged Mr. Bennet’s affairs so his daughters could manage while he was incapacitated. 

After five days of dawn to dusk work, combined with Mrs. Bennet’s funeral, Longbourn was finally prepared to be able to persevere during this most recent assault to its solvency. 

During that tumultuous time, General Fitzhenry received Mr. Bennet’s blessings to marry Jane, as well as his permission—nay, his recommendation—that they not wait the requisite mourning period. Mr. Bennet claimed the best honor for Mrs. Bennet’s memory would be to have a daughter well married as soon as may be—would the three weeks necessary for the banns to be read suffice, or would they require a special license?

Initially, Jane refused to consider marrying so soon after her mother’s death, but Elizabeth spoke to her of the sense of such an action, reminding her that their Mama’s last weeks were spent bemoaning the lack of husbands for her daughters.

~~~o0o~~~

“Oh, Lizzy,” Jane remembered as they spoke of the impending nuptials. “I could not write to you of this, but when General Fitzhenry and I were walking in the park a few weeks ago …” She looked down and dabbed her eyes before continuing. “Well, we were having a lovely stroll when I saw Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows drew up in surprise.

“They did not see me,” Jane went on. “The attentions of both were otherwise occupied,” she whispered while looking knowingly at her sister.

“Oh, Jane!” cried Elizabeth. “That must have been awful for you.”

“I was concerned for you,” Jane said somewhat playfully as she pulled on Elizabeth’s free curl. “As for myself, I was on the arm of the General watching Mr. Bingley with a very young lady on his arm—I suppose she must be Miss Darcy—and I realized how fortunate I am. Mr. Bingley is one whose head is often turned. Mama spoke to me of those sorts of men. She said if I attached to one of them I must give him an heir then find my own entertainment because he would always be seeking someone new to meet his fancy.” [1]

“Mama. Said that to you?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.

Jane laughed. “Yes. She saw it as an advantage, but as I walked with General Fitzhenry commanding his full attention, I saw Mr. Bingley’s eyes wander to the many young ladies in the park. I would not wish for a marriage like that, it sounds quite lonely.”

Here Elizabeth agreed. “But, Mr. Darcy must find him respectable enough to offer his sister to him.”

“I can not speak for Mr. Darcy, but, Lizzy…” Jane paused, then grabbed her sister’s hand. “I saw in the paper that Mr. Darcy will be marrying soon. She is the adopted daughter of the Comte St Jule, but she is rumored to be the daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. That must have been who he was in the park with.”

“I wish him well,” replied Elizabeth lightheartedly. “It seems Papa was correct, the wealthy gentlemen simply used us for their entertainment while in our quiet little town. No lasting harm was done, and we are both wiser for the experience,” she avowed, smiling encouragingly at Jane.

“You feel no injury then?”

“None.” Elizabeth lifted Jane’s hands, squeezing them gently. “So now we must focus on the important things: shall we have a wedding breakfast and how will we ever have time to assemble your wedding clothes?” The two laughed quietly, with respect for their period mourning, but continued to plan Jane’s upcoming nuptials and wedded bliss.

With the death of Mrs. Bennet, the tone of Longbourn calmed considerably. Lydia no longer had her mother’s exuberance as an example or an excuse. Being confined to the estate during the mourning period also subdued her lively spirits as she no longer had anything new to talk about. Kitty, as usual, took her cue from Lydia. The three weeks until Jane’s wedding were uncommonly peaceful, allowing Mr. Bennet to find some recovery, though he would never regain full use of his left side.

After Jane became Mrs. Fitzhenry, the newly wedded pair left for a brief stay in Ramsgate before returning to London where Jane would turn the Fitzhenry home into her own.

“La!” cried a distressed Lydia after everyone left, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Mrs. Forster is my particular friend, but now she’s invited Mary King to accompany her to Brighton when the militia relocates. She would have invited me, but with Mama’s death and Papa’s illness she thought I would not be able to go, but you would have let me go!” she whined to Elizabeth. “You would want me to catch an officer like Mama wanted. Jane married one, a wealthy handsome one, and during our mourning too. Why should I not do the same? Mama would not wish for us to mourn forever, being so glum and wearing dreary black clothes. She would want us to be festive …”

“Enough,” Elizabeth stopped her sulking spoiled sister. “We mourn to show respect, if not for Mama then to those in our community so that they see that we esteemed and loved our mother.” Elizabeth glared at Lydia before relenting to explain the necessity of the early wedding. “Jane was engaged before she arrived at Longbourn. Papa felt it best not to delay the nuptials as his own health is uncertain and he wishes to know we will all be cared for.”

Lydia huffed as she flopped on the chaise, refusing to accept her current situation with any measure of grace.

~~~o0o~~~

Almost six months had gone by since the passing of their mother. Jane was well established in London, while Mary, Kitty, and Lydia were accepting their new roles on the estate, some with more grace than others. Jane wrote often of her wishes to have Elizabeth live with her in Town during the season. She wanted her sister to accompany her to the events she would have one familiar face. Though unspoken, Jane also hoped to find a gentleman for her sister to love. With the General’s connections combined with Elizabeth’s charm and intelligence, she could easily attract a handsome, wealthy gentleman.

So it was settled, Elizabeth would accompany the Gardiners on their summer tour to the Peaks and then end her journey in London at the Fitzhenry’s. 

Though the trip ended up being shortened to only a tour of the northern counties, Elizabeth enjoyed seeing the childhood home of her aunt. Mrs. Gardiner and her dear old friends shared many a happy tale of their childhood, greatly entertaining Elizabeth.

She was able to see Mr. Darcy’s estate as one of their amusements during the trip. Only then did she understand the magnitude of his wealth and position. Her father had been wise and kind to set her to rights after Mr. Darcy left. A gentleman of this quality would have his choice of bride and owed it to his estate to choose advantageously. According to the housekeeper, he had chosen one of the best the season had to offer, and they were currently on their wedding tour on the continent visiting her childhood friends.

While the party was in its last few days in Lambton before starting their return to Hertfordshire, Elizabeth received a most disturbing letter from home. Mary wrote of the startling elopement of Miss King and Mr. Wickham as well as Mr. Wickham’s shocking desertion from the militia. From the gossip in Meryton, it seemed the pair had gone from Gretna Green to Liverpool where they boarded a ship for the Americas to begin a new life funded by the new Mrs. Wickham’s dowry.

Elizabeth could only be relieved that Lydia was not in Brighton with Mrs. Forster and Miss King. With her high animal spirits, Elizabeth could only cringe at what trouble her youngest sister would have embroiled herself in with such lax supervision by the Forsters. Before beginning her visits for the day, she did say a prayer for Miss King, now Mrs. Wickham, for such a start could not bode well for the couple.

~~~o0o~~~

Staying with Jane in London is the closest I shall ever come to living in paradise, Elizabeth decided. 

She spent her time tending to her now expecting sister, staying active with her many correspondents, and partaking of all the entertainments Town had to offer. She regularly met many of the unattached connections of both her new brother and her uncle, but neither pushed matches on her like her mother had. She was now free to enjoy the company and conversation of gentlemen without any pressure to capture them.

Mr. Bennet got along tolerably with the help of his youngest daughters. Though he missed his older two, he could not bring himself to write, relying on Mary to maintain all of his correspondence. His illness had not progressed any further, and the now calm nature of Longbourn helped keep him free from any new fits.

Jane was not the only one expecting. Charlotte had secured her husband and begat his heir within her first month of marriage, freeing her from his attentions until after the birth and recovery. 

With the infant expected at the end of October, Elizabeth was not surprised when Charlotte stopped responding to her correspondence at the start of that month. Only when Mary sent news of Meryton did Elizabeth learn the real reason for her silence. Charlotte had birthed the child early and contracted childbed fever which took her life. The babe was currently being attended in Hunsford by a wet nurse, She was a small, frail creature from having been born weeks before anticipated.

Mr. Collins, ever practical, returned to Longbourn to see if any of the Bennets would reconsider his olive branch now that their situation had so changed. He had decided to eschew mourning as he needed a mother for his daughter and a new wife to produce a son.

This time he was in luck. With Elizabeth in London, Mary was the eldest and the recipient of his attentions. With her newfound in-depth knowledge of the management of the Longbourn estate, Mr. Collins saw all the benefits of allying with Mary rather than with his dear Charlotte’s much younger sister. Mary, always just as practical as Mr. Collins or Charlotte, accepted him in anticipation of caring for Charlotte’s tiny daughter and becoming the mistress of Longbourn, which she confided to her sister in this latest and most disturbing letter.

The news left Elizabeth stunned for the rest of the day. She, of course, had to return to Longbourn to assist Mary with her wedding, now two weeks away and being held just over a month after the death of Charlotte. Jane could not travel in her delicate state but gave many words of encouragement as she helped Elizabeth prepare for her journey.

~~~o0o~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Before you hate Charles Bingley too much for this, remember it is Jane’s interpretation of what she saw. Maybe, even though Elizabeth feels like Jane thinks the best of everybody, Jane may be a bit jaded. With her mother giving her advice about men with wandering eyes and her feeling like he rejected her, it would be a reasonable bias for her to use after seeing Bingley in the park. 
> 
> ~~~o0o~~~
> 
> Comments are appreciated!
> 
> Only one more chapter to go. Since everything was finished (or as finished as it needed to be for me to post it anytime this century) I’m posting now.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying the story. Really now, don’t we all just love to give Jane a better man than wishy-washy Bingley with his snooty sisters? Who among us would want someone so easily swayed when we’d still have to put up with his family? 
> 
> I like the idea of the women having a bit more control in their lives and finding their own satisfaction within the constraints of the time and place they were in. Here, Elizabeth is happy to be living with her sibling (similar to JA) and enjoying life on her own terms without any pressure to find an identity through marriage.
> 
> And the tree thing - with the youngest boy wanting to pee on the General - having grown up around my mother’s 10 brothers, numerous male cousins, a brother, as well as other life experiences: males seem to LOVE their ability to “mark” things. There is an off-color joke about it that my daughters shared with me, but maybe I shouldn’t put it here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Elizabeth gladly returned to London, hoping never to return to Longbourn now that Mary was wed and had begun her own path.

Everything had changed at home.

Her father’s health, contrary to Mary’s reports, had notably declined. The Longbourn of her childhood, as home full of the liveliness and so many young ladies and their friends, had vanished. Mary had solemnly prepared for her wedding in a way that was more in character with preparing for a funeral. Kitty and Lydia had been greatly subdued, their assigned burdens to help their father run the estate would now increase with Mary’s departure. The younger two still occasionally escaped to Meryton so they could attend lively card parties at Aunt Philips while trying to hold on to vestiges their carefree youth by flirting with the young gentlemen, but their propriety grew with each party as all of their evenings ended with the return to the solemnity of home.

The morning after Mary’s wedding, before they could begin their journey to Kent, Mr. Collins had received an express informing him that his tiny daughter had contracted a fever. Her frail body was unable to fight it, and she had succumbed the morning before, near the time Mr. Collins was saying his vows. Thus Mary was sent off to Kent without the promised baby, the baby that was to offer her some distraction from her foolish husband, waiting at the other end of the journey.

With Mary’s marriage to Mr. Collins, Longbourn was now secure for the Bennet daughters. As such, Mr. Bennet no longer felt any compunction to remain in his earthly form. When Elizabeth gave her adieu to her father, both knew it would be their final farewell.

The carriage carrying Elizabeth back to Jane began its journey to Town by passing the empty Netherfield Park. It struck Elizabeth how much had changed in so short a time. This same time last year, the wealthy gentlemen were teasing and flirting at the ball, while she laughingly followed her mother’s endless instructions on how to catch a gentleman. Then abruptly and without the courtesy of taking leave of any in the neighborhood, the gentlemen departed.

Now those gentlemen were married to suitable matches while Jane was happily married to the perfect man for her. Elizabeth was back to being her impertinent self and was in complete contentment living as a companion to Jane.

Once the Collins’ took over Longbourn, her youngest sisters went to spend time with the Gardiners in London. As the young sisters now had more restrained temperaments which combined with their exceptional Bennet beauty, all felt they would likely find husbands within a year.

All the comforts of Elizabeth’s youth were now gone as she left her childhood behind, yet she was secure and happy in the new life before her. With the shocking death of both Charlotte and her infant, Elizabeth Bennet—much like the author who originally created her—was even more content to live the life of a spinster, though her concerns for Jane’s confinement multiplied.

The news of her father’s passing at the start of 1813 came as no shock. Jane entered her confinement shortly before the letter from Kitty arrived. Elizabeth did make one last journey to Longbourn to help prepare for the Collins’ to relocate themselves. After saying her final farewells, she was able to return to London in time to be with Jane for her successful delivery, a son they named Bennet Fitzhenry.

It was not the life her mother wished for her, but it was the life she had foretold for herself. It was a life that gave Elizabeth great contentment and joy.

~~~o0o~~~

_Author’s Note: This was supposed to be the end of the story, but I can’t say HEA and just leave it like this. It would be downright dishonest and cruel of me._

_For those who DO NOT want the E &D HEA, please stop reading here. Elizabeth is happy here, so it is a HEA for her. She is living the life she predicted for herself (in the 1995 BBC version at least - I don’t think it’s in canon) as the doting aunt. Jane has done her duty to both herself and her family—marrying for love and securing the family. Darcy is living the life prescribed for him by the chance of his birth, so he is content. He does not know the true charm of Elizabeth that he’s missing, because she hid them from him while he was in Meryton . I must admit, reactions to the stories I write surprise me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many reviews that do not want a D&E ending._

_But it is a P &P FF, so a D&E ending it feels like there must be. Even if it is an optional one. :) For those wanting that HEA, please read on..._

~~~o0o~~~

**Epilogue—or—The Rest of the Story**

Around the same time Bennet Fitzhenry was born, in March of 1813, the news of Mrs. Darcy and her child succumbing to the same malady as Charlotte, a premature birth leading to the death of both mother and babe, was reported in the papers. Elizabeth was once again relieved for Jane’s easy birth—likely a gift their mother had bequeathed her daughters—but she did say a prayer in sympathy for Mr. Darcy and his family. For all his great wealth, the poor man seemed to be surrounded by death. [1]

A year later, in January of 1814, a childhood friend of General Fitzhenry’s stopped by to meet the fine new Fitzhenry son, joined by his widower cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam, also the younger son of an earl, had served under Fitzhenry but had not been as successful in finding his fortune. As he remained a bachelor, he fully enjoyed all the entertainments London held for an earl’s son. His cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam teased, had been deemed his responsibility to drag back out into respectable society.

Upon meeting the ladies of the house, along with the handsome and energetic young son, the gentlemen retired to the study where they shared drinks, caught up, and reminisced.

Colonel Fitzwilliam complimented his friend on securing the stunning Mrs. Fitzhenry. “You make up for your ugly mug with a wife like that. Your children may have a chance,” he harassed his friend. “How did you convince her to marry you?”

“I imagine his income did the trick,” Darcy offered sarcastically.

Colonel Fitzwilliam and General Fitzhenry looked at him in shock, disbelieving he would make such a disparaging comment about the General’s kind and lovely wife.

“Excuse me, sir,” the General responded icily.

Darcy may intimidate some with his great height and stern mien, but when confronted with the ruthless glare of a soldier who had slit more than one throat in his day, Darcy recognized the wisdom of correcting any derogatory implications of what he said.

“Pardon me, General,” Darcy apologized. “I did not realize your marriage to be one of affection. I met Mrs. Fitzhenry and her family a few of years ago in Hertfordshire. My friend leased an estate close to their father’s. Though my friend paid her many attentions, she never gave any indication she would give her heart to anyone, though her mother was vociferous in insisting a match was impending.” He bowed his head as another apology for insulting the General’s wife. “The mother was so openly mercenary, I supposed that you had been ensnared by her machinations. I apologize for my mistake and congratulate you on your felicity.”

The General stared at Darcy a few uncomfortable moments.

“Bingley,” the General spit out.

At Darcy’s questioning look, the General repeated himself. “Bingley. That’s your friend. Am I correct?”

When Darcy nodded, the General burst out laughing. “I have heard much about you and your friend,” he snorted, much to Darcy’s consternation. “I must thank both you and your friend for your short-sightedness.”

With a blazing glare directed at Darcy, the General snarled as he continued. “I must inform you, I put forth great effort to win my Jane. Though she would have accepted me with much less, she is worth my every effort. My battle was fought valiantly, and in the end, I managed to storm her defenses,” he smiled a secret smile that made the other men jealous. “My greatest victory yielded my dearest prize. Her gentle spirit and steady demeanor is a balm for my soul. She calms my turbulent moods and soothes the worst scars of battle.” He looked toward Colonel Fitzwilliam, as he knew the man would understand his meaning. The Colonel nodded.

“Your friend may not have appreciated Jane’s gentle nature or valued her tranquil affection, but I can only thank him for that. Jane’s heart is something I shall never be uncertain of, for she fully and freely shares it with me and with our children, little Bennet being the first of what I hope are many future siblings.” The General gave a wicked smile at the thought of creating all those siblings for little Bennet.

“Yes, sir,” deferred Darcy. “It must have been only their mother who had such intentions.”

“Aye,” agreed the General, still suspicious. “Her mother died a few days before I had a chance to meet her but that was over two years ago.” Darcy raised his brows in surprise, he had not known. “My Jane and my dear sister Elizabeth have been through much, yet they do nothing but keep my home as a pleasant retreat from the tumultuousness outside my doors. My friends find my home, the one created by my wife and sister, to be a welcome respite. The ladies have become quite an asset for me,” he shared, turning to speak more to Colonel Fitzwilliam now that he had lost respect for Darcy. “Both are intelligent, though Lizzy is better with book learning. She was a quick study, after her uncle and I showed her a few things, she managed to keep her father’s estate solvent after his apoplexy. She taught her younger sisters how to manage it while she was away, and kept it going until he finally passed and her sister and brother took it over.”

“I seem to remember their estate was entailed and there were no sons,” Darcy observed curiously, drawing the General’s attention back to him.

“It was and there weren’t,” he chided. “Her sister married the cousin it was entailed to.” As Darcy started to don his smug mask, the General interrupted his self-righteousness thoughts that the sister’s marriage was proof of the mother’s mercenary measures. “Her sister married the man just above a year ago. She wished to care for his daughter after his wife died in childbirth, Mr. Darcy.” Darcy startled before scowling. “Mr. Collins’ first wife had been a dear friend of Elizabeth’s, and Mary wanted the poor child to be raised in love. Sadly for all, while Collins was saying his vows, his daughter went to join her mother.” The General shook his head. “A sad business. Mr. Bennet joined them only a month later. The two youngest sisters now live with their uncle here in Town, but we are often in the company of one another.”

All of Darcy’s memories of Miss Elizabeth—Miss Bennet now—and her family were that they were no different from any other grasping young ladies of the lower levels of society, with the younger ladies being quite improper, but with this new information, she might become more interesting. His aunts were regularly reminding him that he still needed to produce an heir.

When the gentlemen joined the ladies, Miss Bennet was expertly entertaining her sister on the pianoforte. When she finished and joined the guests, Colonel Fitzwilliam found her charming as she teased and flirted with him, as witty and impertinently as always.

Though the Colonel monopolized most of her conversation, she did include Mr. Darcy at times. She held no grudge but had no inclination to bend to him either. Knowing he preferred servile ladies, she refused to once again play the role her mother had expected in Hertfordshire. She playfully took the opposing side of any statement he made, yet argued against him in a such a way as not to cause animosity.

Once the gentlemen left, the General teased his sister. “I think another Fitz desires a Bennet.”

Elizabeth laughed. “It must be all of those tales of battle the Fitzes have to entertain us with.”

Growing more serious, her brother offered a warning. “Fitzwilliam is an excellent gentleman, but he did not do well pecuniarily in the war. All of his father’s estate goes to his older brother, and his mother’s dowry goes to his sister. A childless aunt arranged to provide for another sister, but he and his other brother have been left to provide for themselves. Fitzwilliam must find a well-dowered woman. He still resides in his father’s homes and is dependent on allowances to supplement his Army salary so he can remain in society.”

Sighing dramatically, Elizabeth had a twinkle in her eye when she responded. “Alas, another gentleman of quality who wishes only to keep me as his entertainment for a few weeks.” She raised her arm to her forehead in mock distress. “How shall I survive?” They all laughed. “Thank you, dear brother, for your warning. I will take nothing the gentleman says seriously.”

The next day, Elizabeth was surprised when they once again received both Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy during calling hours. Mr. Darcy put himself forward a bit more this time, but Elizabeth was just as quick to contradict and tease him when she found inconsistencies in his few pronouncements. After beginning their visits, the gentlemen became frequent visitors and with each visit Mr. Darcy became a bit more engaged in conversation and a bit more agreeable to all.

The Fitzhenry household assumed Mr. Darcy only accompanied his cousin as an excuse to leave his now empty home. Elizabeth had hoped to frustrate Mr. Darcy into ending his visits, but her impertinence seemed to have no dissuading effects on the gentleman she knew to prefer servile ladies.

After a couple of fortnights of regular visits, Colonel Fitzwilliam announced he would be relocating to Kent to assist his aunt and cousin with their estate. Darcy glanced at him with an unspoken understanding. Later, the Colonel took Elizabeth aside, apologizing to her. He assured her that he was very much overcome by her charms and if he could in any way afford to wed her, he would bend his knee to her in an instant. But he could not. He was relegated to a world of fiscal concerns, therefore, he must marry his cousin in Kent. She needed a legitimate heir, and he needed a way to support himself once the earldom passed to his eldest brother.

Elizabeth smiled at him in sympathy, assured him she understood his situation, felt no neglect at his defection, and wished the greatest joy to him and his new bride.

When the gentlemen left, Elizabeth felt sure she had seen the last of them both.

Mr. Darcy returned two days later, alone for the first time. He apologized for not being as entertaining as his cousin but offered to do his best to uphold his end of the conversation.

Of course, Elizabeth teased him for such a statement. Propriety would never allow her to admit she anticipated nothing but boredom in his company. At the end of his visit, to her surprise, she found she had not been bored. On the contrary, they had engaged in lively conversations with her countering his statements as he vigorously defended himself while countering hers. With such a lively back and forth, the half hour passed in a trice.

When Mr. Darcy continued his frequent visits, the General took him aside to question his intentions. Mr. Darcy assured him they were everything honorable, but the General reminded him of his usage of Elizabeth in Hertfordshire.

“But she was not so interesting in Hertfordshire,” Darcy explained. “She fawned and agreed and had no opinions, just like all the other empty heads in society.” Then Darcy smiled and bowed to the General. “I applaud your efforts with her, she has become much more enticing. I now understand your efforts to win her sister if she was but half as captivating as Miss Bennet.”

The gentlemen spoke further, with the General giving Mr. Darcy to understand Elizabeth had always been the way he now found her, but during the time he spent in Hertfordshire, she had been merely following her mother’s instruction. (The General felt is best to leave out that she made doing so a private amusement.) Darcy laughed at the irony. If only she had been herself, she may well have captivated him during that visit and may have even persuaded him away from his first attachment.

Mr. Darcy’s visits continued. As he began to view Miss Bennet as a prospect, his dropped his prideful disdain and allowed his charm and goodness to shine through. In doing so, he began to wear away Miss Bennet’s prejudices against him.

In a display of his esteem for the Fitzhenry’s and Miss Bennet, Darcy invited them to a dinner party at his home. The initial meeting with the Bingleys was awkward, but soon all parties learned they were happiest in their current unions. After that first dinner, the group became good friends and called upon one another holding no grudges from what Jane called “that misunderstanding of so long ago.”

Darcy had initially been circumspect in his attentions to Miss Bennet, passing them off as his own friendship with Colonel Fitzwilliam’s friend. He knew the Cavendishes would not be pleased, the Fitzwilliams may not like it either, but once he took her as his wife both would feel compelled to acknowledge her. As Miss Bennet would only bring honor to his name, something he could not say about that scandalous Cavendish cousin, Caroline Lamb, they would have little to complain about.

After she met his family, Darcy’s decision to pursue her was fixed, thus he began pursuing Miss Bennet with a ferocity he never knew he possessed. Each of their debates lit a fire in his belly that made him feel like a mastiff pulling on his chain to free himself so he could subdue the adorable terrier that kept taunting him so captivatingly.

As he departed one evening, Darcy approached General Fitzhenry to ask his help in winning Miss Bennet’s hand. The General laughed. “From what I have learned of you, you are a good man. I could promote your interest to Elizabeth, but that would be tantamount to treason in this household. I may spy on you, old boy, but I shall never spy for you. I know where my loyalties lie, and right now she is lying in my bed waiting for me to join her. Thus I bid you adieu.” The General turned to head up the stairs but turned back toward Darcy. “The more effort you put into her, the more valuable she shall become. This is not just in winning her hand, but in maintaining her loyalty as well.”

Frustrated at the lack of support, Darcy politely nodded before huffing his way to his carriage. As he rode home, he realized the truth in the General’s last bit of advice. He had made little effort to secure the alliance with his first wife. Even though Caroline St Jules was more withdrawn than himself, she had other admirers with her stellar dowry and illustrious connections. Her only stipulation in agreeing to marry him had been a wedding tour to the continent and that she be allowed to spend her time in Town rather than on the distant estate in Derbyshire, both of which he acquiesced to. [2]

Their wedding tour had been agreeable. He enjoyed having Georgiana and Bingley along to entertain him. His wife introduced him to many of her friends, but she spent most of her time with Miss Bingley. When Miss Bingley ended up engaged to the Danish count, they all celebrated her success, but his wife felt the loss of her particular traveling companion.

During the tour, she had done her duty, and an heir was conceived. Once she was with child, Darcy was barred from her room. Their relationship had not been contentious nor had it been overly fulfilling, but it was everything expected from a society marriage. When she died in childbirth, he was melancholy, but not overly so. He was more grieved to lose the child than the wife. In truth, he barely knew his wife. They spent little time together and shared no intimacies beyond what it took to produce the child.

A marriage to Elizabeth Bennet would be nothing like his first marriage. It would be a marriage of passion. He already knew more of her than he ever knew of his wife. Elizabeth left him feeling fulfilled, alive. To live without her would be devastating.

He continued on his mission, becoming more and more forward in his flirtations with each visit. Finally, a month after she first had dinner with his family and a full three months after Darcy’s first visit to meet little Bennet Fitzhenry, they ended up in the Fitzhenry drawing room alone as her brother attended to his business and her sister had been called away to attend little Bennet.

Once Mrs. Fitzhenry left the room, Darcy surprised Elizabeth by lowering himself to his knees in front of where she sat. He gently took both her hands in his, and kissed each one. “It will not do,” he whispered. “My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

He gazed at her shocked countenance, allowing her time to understand his message. “I found you have stolen my heart with your impertinence and wit. When I leave your company, I feel the void sharply. I desire to make arrangements so you may never again leave my company.” He reached up to stroke her cheek, watching her face waver between joy and outrage.

When he realized she may have misunderstood his offer, he leaned in closer, pulling her hands to his heart. “Those arrangements only come to fruition if you accept my hand and agree to become my Mrs. Darcy.”

“But,” she laughed nervously. “I thought you were only using me for your amusement.”

“I assure you, I was,” Darcy grinned. “I just wish to make the arrangement permanent.” As an afterthought, he added, “And to have your amusements for more than a half hour visit each day.” And to have them all night as well, but he refrained from adding that.

She smiled slyly, arching a brow. “What if I say no,” she asked.

He looked around the room. “No one is here to protect you. I can throw you into my carriage, and we can be off to Scotland before nightfall.” He lowered his voice seductively. “I think at some point during that long journey I could convince you to change your mind.”

“I wonder then, what will happen when you again change your mind?” Elizabeth teased, but with a hint of skepticism in her eye.

Darcy drew back, confused. “What do you speak of?”

“Is it not true that you found me an insipid bore of a fortune hunter when you first met me?” she confronted him. “Now you—how did you put it? Oh. Now you say I have stolen your heart with impertinence and wit.”

“You have, madam,” he bowed to her with a cautious smile, wondering how she found out about his opinion in Hertfordshire.

“But what if you find me changed again? What if I do not always challenge you? Will I once again be relegated to insipid fortune hunter,” she challenged him. “Only worse, the insipid fortune hunter who ensnared you.”

Darcy looked at her through narrowed eyes, trying to catch her meaning before he responded. “Is this not the person that you are—the lady you portray yourself as now?”

“It is,” she curtly replied.

“Is the person you displayed yourself as in Hertfordshire also the person that you are?” he quizzed. “For she was a very different lady than the one I see before me.”

With a small sly smile, she replied. “No. That is not the person I am. That is the person my mother wished for me to be.”

“Then I will say: The Elizabeth Bennet in Hertfordshire is not the lady I would wish to connect myself with,” he smiled securely back at her. “I admit to hoping you will not always challenge me, but I would never wish to suppress your spirit. It is the spark that lights your particular beauty, making you the most handsome woman of my acquaintance.” He looked into her eyes, hoping she was convinced by his answer.

Still she looked distrustfully at him.

“Miss Bennet,” he soothed as he gently took her hands in his once again. “We have been reacquainted for three months, have we not?”

Elizabeth solemnly nodded

“And we have been in the particular company of each other most every day of those three months, have we not?”

Elizabeth again nodded, for he visited nigh on every day or brought them to the theater or museum or to walk in the park.

“I was only in Hertfordshire six weeks,” he raised his brow to emphasize his comment. “I was only in your particular company when you tended your sister, and very little at that. Above those few days, I saw you no more than two or three times a week in large gatherings. In all of those times, you were acting the simpering fool, were you not?”

Smirking at those memories, she acknowledged the truth of his words.

“How can you compare the two?” he asked as he moved his face closer to hers. “The lady in front of me is the one I find myself desiring more and more time with.” He moved a bit closer as his voice grew softer. “She is the one I find myself wishing to awaken with.” He moved even closer, now speaking only in a whisper. “She is the one I am in love with.”

As he confessed his love, he pressed his forehead to her own and gazed into her eyes. Seeing a twinkle of mirth in those fine eyes, Darcy smiled as he whispered again. “You see, you now have no other choice. Accept me now and we may have a proper church wedding, or continue to plague me and I will carry you off to Scotland while I make every effort to change your mind.”

Chuckling softly for a moment, she leaned forward so her nose now touched his before she grew serious though her eyes still twinkled. “Yes, Mr. Darcy. As you give me no other choice, I shall marry you.”

And so began the compressed engagement of and lengthy marriage between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

As Jane had suggested, their mother had gifted them a child-birthing figure. Elizabeth was able to, not easily, though that incorrigible Fitzwilliam Darcy may have sometimes suggested otherwise, but successfully give birth to seven healthy children, including five sons to ensure the legacy of the Darcys. With so many children, they would only be in Town one month of the year or when other special occasions required their attendance. The rest of their time was spent at Pemberley where their energetic children, particularly the girls who were always condemned in Town for such activities, could run free.

 

The end. The real end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~o0o~~~
> 
> [1] At the time of P&P, one in every five women died in childbirth. So that would mean at least three of the women mentioned in P&P canon would have died having children. Jane Austen had two SILs die from it. I know I’m being mean here, killing off innocent women and babies and all, but it was something that happened with great frequency before modern medicine and not just to women. A bladder infection could easily go septic and kill someone. An infected tooth was another killer. No matter how rich and no matter how powerful a person was, parasites, diseases, childbirth, or injuries could easily do them in. We take so much for granted today, but doing these stories makes me particularly appreciate modern medicine.
> 
> [2] I was originally going to have her keeping a long-standing lover, but then decided not to go there. So she just makes a couple of odd demands here. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~o0o~~~
> 
> First:  
> I have been informed that Collins could not have married Maria Lucas because she would be considered too close of a relation. That amuses me considering the aristocracy had uncles marrying neices, but I will refrain from going there. So I’ll change it up so that Collins—short sighted fool that he is—considers it until Lady Catherine sets him straight.
> 
> Second:  
> That is it! I hope I didn’t rush things too much in getting D&E together. I also gave the option of the HEA without D&E.
> 
> I’ve been surprised by the comments, but I guess that shows how little I know about how people interpret what I write. I do not believe I’ve ever seen so many people against a D&E HEA.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] Based on Colonel Fitzwilliam’s conversation with Elizabeth the morning before Darcy’s proposal. He told Elizabeth about how well Darcy took care of his friend, whom the Colonel supposed was Bingley “from knowing them to have been together the whole of last summer.” (ch 33) 
> 
> I’ve usually assumed Darcy kept what happened with his sister quiet even from his friend, but there is nothing I can recall from canon that really says that. Caroline Bingley does approach Elizabeth right after her first dance with Darcy to warning her against Wickham but admits to not knowing the particulars. She only knows that Darcy had been “remarkably kind” to Wickham and was “not in the least to blame” and that her brother was “excessively glad” Wickham had taken himself out of the way. 
> 
> Maybe Darcy confided in both Colonel Fitzwilliam and Charles Bingley.
> 
> [2] Wheat would probably be known more as ‘corn’, which meant grain at the time. I just liked the way “sheep and wheat” sounded over “sheep and corn” or “sheep and barley”. Interesting tidbit: According to Daniel Defoe’s Complete English Tradesman, in the 1700s, Hertfordshire was a big malting center and would buy all the barley they could get out of the counties of Essex, Cambridge, Bedford, Huntingdon, and Suffolk. That malt would be used to make beer or gin.
> 
> [3] Rave meaning "Talking wildly or deliriously" dates from 1374, which surprised me.
> 
>  
> 
> [4] At the start of the book, Darcy was a full-of-himself jerk. In chapter 4, it says how little he thought of the Meryton assembly. “Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure.” It’s chapter 6 when he starts to take notice of Elizabeth.
> 
> ~~~o0o~~~
> 
> Hello! As this is a PIP, I would like to thank my wonderful betas who have finished looking over the whole thing: Mary, Lisa, and Michelle. Thank you ladies, for keeping me from posting an absolute mess. Any errors are my own.
> 
> Comments are always welcome and appreciated!
> 
> Just in case you are interested:
> 
> 1\. This story is short, only about 15k words and 4 chapters.
> 
> 2\. Yes, Darcy is a jerk in this. I modeled his character here off the descriptions of gentlemen in the book “To Marry An English Lord”, the information contained in the online lecture “Is Mr. Darcy a Virgin?”, and the attitudes of some of the born-wealthy guys I’ve encountered through the years. (I used to live in New Orleans. Wealthy guys from the East Coast used to use it for their bachelor parties. Granted, those guys were probably not at their best, but sometimes they were complete jerks to those of us who lived there.)


End file.
